Surveillance and alarm device for room spaces

ABSTRACT

A surveillance and alarm device for room spaces, comprising an infrared radar for controlling the lights as well as a fire and burglar alarm. A basic alarm is provided with a light controller to be connected in series with a ceiling light fixture in a room under surveillance, and is further provided with a microprocessor or some other intelligent control circuit, adapted to control the alarm actions of said device either on the basis of a command issued by a lamp light switch or a wireless remote controller or on the basis of a command issued by a key switch. The light controller included in the basic alarm switches on said lighting fixture as someone enters a room under surveillance or flashes said lighting fixture in connection with an alarm.

The present invention relates to a surveillance and alarm device forroom spaces, comprising an infrared radar for controlling the lights aswell as a fire alarm and a burglar alarm.

An object of the invention is to provide a line of simple safetyequipment for homes and offices that can be readily adopted andconnected to existing electric and telephone equipment.

This object is achieved according to the invention on the basis of thecharacterizing features set forth in the appended claim 1.

One exemplary embodiment of the invention will now be described in moredetail with reference made to the accompanying drawing, in which

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the wiring of a device of theinvention to electric and telephone equipment and

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram for the components included in a basicalarm 2.

The device comprises a basic alarm 2 to be connected in series with aceiling light fixture 1 in the room to be placed under surveillance,said basic alarm including a fire detector 11 and a burglar-alarminfrared radar 8 and also a light controller 12 integrated in a singleunit. The basic alarm 2 is provided with a microprocessor 9, which isadapted to control the actions of said device either on the basis of acommand issued by a light switch 3 for lamp 1 or a remote controller 7or on the basis of a command issued by a key switch 4. In its basicembodiment, the actions of alarm 2 are controlled by means of lightswitch 3. The control is effected by means of successive shorter orlonger switch-on periods, issued by light switch 3 and set by a user.

One or a plurality of basic alarms 2 can also be controlled by means ofa basic shunt switch, which is a key switch 4. The key switch 4 isconnected either to light switch 3 or to a supply line for an array oflights. The key switch 4 is used for cutting away one half-wave wheneverthe alarm is active.

Thus, the basic alarm 2 produces an alarm both by sounding a siren 10and by flashing the lights of lamp 1. Especially in the dark, such alarmis easily detectable from outside, even from a fair distance away. Thebasic alarm 2 includes also an automatically rechargeable backup voltagesource 13 and, thus, the replacement of batteries is avoided. When alight controller 12 included in basic alarm 2 is in activated state, itswitches on the light in a normal manner when somebody enters the roomunder surveillance.

As an accessory, the device includes a robot alarm 5 to be connectedwith a telephone line by means of a tap socket 6 and including nokeyboard for identifying the alarms by means of sequencing the sirensound of basic alarm 2. Hence, the robot alarm 5 does not require anyinput or output delays. The programming of robot 5 can be effected bymeans of a normal telephone and such robot can be connected as aseparate unit without acutal installation or fixing of sensors. Therobot alarm 5 includes a microprocessor for analyzing an alarm signaland calling the emergency numbers. Thus, this microprocessor is set invarious operational states through the intermediary of telephone.Furthermore, in addition to or instead of a light switch, it is alsopossible to employ a wireless remote controller 7 for the alarm control.

The invention is by no means limited to the above exemplary embodimentbut there are several alternatives for a skilled person to utilize thefollowing and most important characteristics of the invention:

connectable to a lighting fixture

three devices in one: a fire and burglar alarm as well as automaticcontrol for lights

flashing of lights in alarm situation

wireless transmission of alarm to a further alarm and/or additionalalarms as a sequenced sound or a radio-frequency code

connection of several alarms in series

For example, said microprocessor 9 can be replaced with otherintelligent circuit designs possessing a sufficient data processingcapability for a sufficiently reliable analysis of the messages receivedfrom sensors 8 and 11 and for controlling said signalling devices 10 and12 on the basis of such analysis.

I claim:
 1. A surveillance device adapted for use with a primary light fixture and a light switch in a room, comprising:a fire detection sensor; an infrared radiation detector; and a control circuit having a microprocessor, the control circuit connected to the light fixture, light switch, fire detection sensor and infrared radiation detector, and the control circuit being adapted to control the surveillance device and the light fixture in response to first and second inputs which are made by operating the light switch to affect, in a predetermined manner, successive switch-ON and switch-OFF periods of at least first and second respective durations such that, in response to the first input, the control circuit monitors the infrared radiation detector and switches the light fixture ON if infrared radiation is detected by the infrared radiation detector, and switches the light fixture OFF if infrared radiation is not detected; and in response to the second input, the control circuit monitors the fire detection sensor and infrared radiation detector to provide an alarm condition by toggling the light fixture rapidly between ON and OFF if either fire or infrared radiation is detected and, until such is detected, maintains the light fixture switched-OFF.
 2. The surveillance device set forth in claim 1, further including a key switch connected to the light switch, the key switch being operative to disable the alarm condition.
 3. The surveillance device as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said device includes a robot alarm connected to a telephone line, said robot alarm operative in response to the control circuit during the alarm condition to call at least one particular emergency number in response thereto.
 4. The surveillance device as set forth in claim 3, characterized in that the robot alarm is further operative in response to the control circuit to call a first emergency number upon detection of fire and to call a second emergency number upon detection of infrared radiation.
 5. The surveillance device set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the control circuit is connected to a supply line for a series of secondary lighting fixtures, such that each lighting fixture in the series of lighting fixtures operates under the control of the control circuit in the same manner as the primary light fixture. 